COVID-19

The A380 is the biggest passenger aircraft in the skies, and it will continue to operate for some time to come. But it will not be as prevalent as it once was. And this week brought more tough news for the type.

Facing 20 days of unpaid leave and a forced vacation schedule at least one United Airlines employees has turned to the courts for relief. A class action suit seeks court-ordered enforcement of the terms of United’s agreement with the US government under the Payroll Support Program section of the CARES Act, including reversal of the new policy.

JetBlue waited longer than most to announce plans for its TrueBlue loyalty program in the wake of the coronavirus groundings. But it appears the carrier used that time wisely. With its announcement today JetBlue draws on similar actions from many other carriers but pulls them together in a package that might deliver outsized value to its members.

As airlines around the globe debate just how long the travel downturn will be an unlikely outlier opinion was mooted this week from Allegiant. Company executives anticipate a quick bounce back of the leisure travel segment and particularly its specific niche market within the leisure traffic world, thanks to its unique customer base.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) will offer airlines increased flexibility under their CARES Act obligations. But rather than choosing individual airports that will be exempt the DOT is now going to let the airlines select which stations will see service suspended.

Last week United Airlines informed its Management & Administrative (M&A) work group of required unpaid time off this summer. This week the carrier shared some additional details related to the plans and the news for these employees is grim.

Forget the fight over who gets the arm rests; middle seats on planes are now generating real fights over if they should be occupied at all. And airlines are fueling the flames with misleading marketing messaging.